Chula Vista police Officer Roman Granados uses a computer tablet equipped with facial recognition software to compare a photo of a person he took while on patrol with photos in a database. Once possible matches are found, Granados compares the ...
— Howard Lipin

Chula Vista police Officer Roman Granados uses a computer tablet equipped with facial recognition software to compare a photo of a person he took while on patrol with photos in a database. Once possible matches are found, Granados compares the ...
— Howard Lipin

Officer Rob Halverson, with the Chula Vista Police Department in California, uses a Samsung Galaxy tablet to identify a woman as part of a pilot program in San Diego County testing facial recognition software. Credit: Roque Hernandez/Univision
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San Diego law enforcement agencies have used the facial recognition system since the beginning of this year, when 133 Galaxy tablets and smartphones were distributed to around the region, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Credit: Roque Hernandez/Univision
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For a primer on how local agencies are using surveillance technology, here are a few cases they are following.

Facial recognition technology: In San Diego, law enforcement agencies are deploying what could be the largest expansion of facial recognition technology for civilian use. The Tactical Identification System allows law enforcement officials to use a mobile device to snap a photo of an individual and run the image against a database matching criminal history, mug shots and other personal information of about 348,000 arrestees in San Diego County. "If you're not in a criminal database, you have nothing to hide,” said Officer Rob Halverson of the Chula Vista Police Department. While officials value the efficiency of being able to easily identify someone, critics argue that how that information is stored – especially for those who have done nothing wrong – raises serious privacy concerns.
More: The rollout of facial recognition technology in San Diego and its military ties; how facial recognition technology works

Oakland’s Domain Awareness Center: In the port city of Oakland, Calif., a federally funded Domain Awareness Center is being expanded to allow local agencies to track Twitter feeds and use license-plate scanners, gunshot detectors, crime mapping software and stationary cameras. The Domain Awareness Center began as part of a nationwide initiative to secure ports by networking sensors and cameras in and around the facilities. The project will cost an estimated $10.9 million to complete.
During a city council meeting in July, Oakland residents protested the city’s decision to accept additional funding to streamline intelligence gathering by incorporating data across different agencies, including local and state departments of transportation, the city’s school district and sports/entertainment venues like the O.co Coliseum and Oracle Arena.
More: The progress of Oakland’s surveillance center and the debate around data collection